Former Everton boss Ronald Koeman has revealed how close he came to bringing Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud to Goodison Park during the summer transfer window.
Koeman was sacked by the Toffees on Monday after a disastrous start to the 2017-18 campaign.
The former Netherlands international was linked with a number of strikers during the summer as he looked to replace the goals that Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United, had provided.
Koeman has claimed that he had Giroud "in the building" as the Frenchman neared a move to Goodison, but a late change of heart from the Frenchman saw him remain at the Emirates Stadium.
The 54-year-old has admitted that Giroud's snub "was hard to swallow", and believes that the lack of a centre-forward made it difficult for Everton to compete in the early stages of the season.
"I had Olivier Giroud in the building," Koeman told Voetbal International. "He would have fitted perfectly but, at the very last moment, he decided that he'd rather live in London, and stay at Arsenal.
"That was really hard to swallow. You tell me, where you can get a better striker? Lukaku was so important for us, not just because of his goals. If things were not going well in a game, if we could not play the way we were used to, there was always the option to use the long ball towards him.
"All of a sudden, we were missing such a player. With Nikola Vlasic and Wayne Rooney, we had attackers who want the ball at their feet."
David Unsworth is currently in charge of first-team affairs at Everton, with his first match as head coach ending in a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
